Roller type window shades (blinds) are known coverings for windows. They include light penetrating blinds and black-out blinds (effectively blocking out the light from passing through the blind) which are each pulled down to cover the window, for example, at night.
Attempts have been made to decorate the face of the material of the light transmitting (penetrating) blinds (shades). In this regard designs and repeating patterns are applied by a rotary printer to the weave material from which the light transmitting (penetrating) blinds (shades) are made up. The applied designs and patterns are however distorted when applied on the material. Despite this distortion, manufacturers continue to manufacture the light transmitting blinds bearing the designs and patterns. The reason is that people hanging the roller type window shades (blinds) do not want a plain fabric face covering the window area when the blind material is rolled down. The weave of the light transmitting (penetrating) fabric cannot however support a high definition picture or design on its face. The designs or pictures when applied are distorted by the nature of the fabric. Furthermore the light transmission makes the design visible from the outside-a not desirable feature or attribute.
In an attempt to overcome these difficulties with the application of the designs and patterns and in an effort to provide a high definition to the applied design and patterns, vinyl fabric or paper bearing high definition designs and high definition patterns are applied to the light transmitting fabric (and even black out blind material). However the costs of making the roller blinds (shades) bearing their designs are escalated substantially making them less commercially desirable and viable.
In another attempt to apply designs to blinds, manufacturers have applied a design to PVC material (without backing) by a continuing application of a design to the face of the material and thereafter combining the material with a fiberglass layer and a black out layer to form a laminated shade which is then secured to a roller to form a window blind. However it is only possible to manufacture blinds with abstract designs or simple designs for which distortion of the design was not a problem because there was distortion with this process. Because PVC is stretchable any design applied by, for example rotary gravure, or silk screen, printing, would be distorted. Thus photographs (of for example sports celebrities) and pictures (of for example cartoon characters, scenes), logos, icons and the like could not be imprinted on roller blinds, (shades) because of the distortion.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide new roller window blinds (roller window shades) each presenting a high definition photograph (for example a famous person) and pictures (for example cartoon characters, scenes), trade marks, icons, logos and the like imprinted directly on the material making up the face of the roller blind (shade).
It is a further object of the invention to provide processes for making such roller blinds (shades).
Further and other objects of the invention will be realized by those skilled in the art from the following summary of the invention and detailed description of embodiments thereof.